Clippers fend off Steph Curry and Warriors in thrilling win

The two best marksmen in NBA history faced off Monday night: Clippers three-point king James Harden and Golden State long-range prodigy Stephen Curry brought excitement to the Intuit Dome.

They had one crowd moment in the first quarter when Harden hit a three-pointer so Curry could follow up with a three on the next possession.

For the Clippers, their focus was on slowing down a potent Warriors offense and stopping Curry, who started the game with 3,782 with the most three-pointers in NBA history.

The Clippers accomplished their goals on defense, holding off the Warriors just enough to earn a thrilling 102-99 victory that wasn’t sealed until the final buzzer.

Clippers guard Terance Mann shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III during Monday’s first half.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After the Clippers’ 10-point lead was cut to three, a costly turnover in the final seconds nearly sent the game to overtime.

Golden State’s Gary Payton II stole the ball from Norman Powell with 21 seconds left. But Curry, who had 26 points and was six for 15 from three-point range, missed a three-pointer and Payton missed another three-point attempt with less than two seconds left to secure the Clippers’ second win over Golden State (10-10) . 3) this season.

Both teams struggled with turnovers: the Clippers had 20 and the Warriors had 19.

Powell led the Clippers with 23 points, including five 3-pointers. Harden had 12 points, but was four for 15 from the field and two for six from three-point range.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue knew the Warriors would put a lot of pressure on his defense. The Warriors entered Monday averaging 121.3 points per game, the third-highest in the NBA.

“I think sharing the basketball, I think moving without the basketball, the open man getting the ball, all the cuts,” Lue said. “(Curry) causes a lot of that confusion because when he comes off the screens, everyone’s antennas are up, but you just can’t lose sight of what you need to do defensively… So we just have to be disciplined . .”

Even with Harden owning the ball for the second-most 3-pointers in league history (2,975) coming into the game, the Clippers (8-7) aren’t just about scoring performances. They pride themselves on being defensive braves.

“Their defense is really good,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game. “Ty and (assistant) Jeff (Van Gundy) are doing a great job. They have added some very impactful defensive players. So we have to be a much more disciplined team tonight.”

The Clippers played well defensively in the first half, holding them to 45 points on 44.7% shooting, including 33.3% on threes. They took advantage of the Warriors’ thirteen turnovers to build an eleven-point halftime lead despite eleven turnovers.

Etc: Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with inflammation in his right knee and is out indefinitely. “He’s gone all week,” Lue said.

Asked to describe what Leonard was able to do, Lue said: “shoot a little bit.”